A way of life.

Date:
1976
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Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

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Credit

A way of life. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.

About this work

Description

This film was designed to motivate people in the 15-20 age group adopting healthier eating habits. The principal characters are a husband and wife, their baby and the husband's younger sister. Jack, an overweight taxi driver, suffers from dizzy spells, which result in a near accident. Hospital tests reveal his excess weight to be a main contributory factor. The consultant lectures Jack on the dangers of obesity and explains how the problem can be overcome. Jack achieves some success before relapsing, with serious consequences. The film purposely sets out to be emotive rather than using medical and statistical evidence. 4 segments.

Publication/Creation

UK : Health Education Council, 1976.

Physical description

1 encoded moving image (22.30 min.) : sound, color

Duration

00:22:32

Copyright note

Crown copyright, managed by BFI.

Terms of use

Unrestricted
CC-BY-NC
Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales

Language note

In English

Creator/production credits

Sponsored by Scottish Health Education Unit and Health Education Council. Directed by Steve Clark-Hall. Camera by Gordon Coull and Mick Campbell, sound by Ian Leslie and Jim McKee, production by Douglas Eadie, script supervised by British Nutrition Foundation, edited by Bill Landale and music by Chris Judge Smith and Mike Hutchinson.

Notes

This video was made from material preserved by the BFI National Archive

Contents

Segment 1 A female gymnast performs some acrobatic jumps. A montage shows a young boy and girl growing up, meeting and getting married. The married couple are seen; they now have a baby, and the husband, Jack, goes to work as a taxi driver. He starts work and picks up a passenger. He blacks out and he crashes the taxi. His doctor tells him to go to hospital for tests, and he goes to check in with his wife. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:05:25:14 Length: 00:05:25:14
Segment 2 Jack goes to the ward and his wife waits in the waiting room. She talks to the doctor about how long Jack will have to stay, then goes to see him. They talk; it is clear they do not think Jack's condition is serious and consider his hospital stay as just an inconvenience. Jack has tests; he is overweight and has high blood pressure. At home, his wife talks to Jack's sister about Jack. In hospital, the doctor tells Jack he must stay in the hospital and questions him on how much exercise he takes and how much he drinks. At a swimming pool, Jack's sister chats to her boyfriend about how worried she is about him. Then they swim, seen in a montage with pop music playing. Time start: 00:05:25:14 Time end: 00:10:14:20 Length: 00:04:49:06
Segment 3 The doctor talks to Jack, saying he must lose weight. Various overweight people are seen, showing symptoms such as heart disease and varicose veins. Voiceovers of overweight people are heard talking about the problems of being overweight. A physician is heard talking about how overweight people are harder to treat and how surgery is more dangerous. An operation on an overweight person is seen; the surgeon pulls out a large accumulation of fat from under the patient's skin. The doctor tells Jack he should begin seeing a dietician. The doctor and a nurse are overheard discussing Jack's case, saying that he is 'digging his own grave with a knife and fork'. Jack and his wife sees the dietician, who suggests how Jack can change his diet. Suggested foods are seen on the right of the screen, and Jack's current diet seen on the left, as a calorie counter shows the daily intake of both diets. At home, Jack complains to his wife and sister about his diet. Time start: 00:10:14:20 Time end: 00:16:21:20 Length: 00:06:07:00
Segment 4 At the pub, his friend makes fun of Jack drinking only half a pint of beer. Jack tries his new diet and begins to lose weight. However, after 4 months he starts eating cakes again and puts weight back on. He stops going to the clinic. One day, he takes the baby for a walk and pushes the pram to the supermarket where his sister works. He leaves the pram outside, held in place by a box. A boy accidentally kicks the box away and the pram begins rolling down the hill. Jack and his sister rush out and run after the pram. His sister catches it. Jack is seen in freeze frame. A heart monitor sound is heard, and the screen turns red. End credits. Time start: 00:16:21:20 Time end: 00:22:32:11 Length: 00:05:11:16

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